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Honourable Company of Stewards-at-Arms (TBRE)
The Honorable Company of Stewards at Arms is a TBRE protective security unit responsible for the integrity of the legislature. Unlike other law enforcement agencies, it answers only to TBRE legislative authorities, not the Minister of the Interior. History Write the first section of your page here. Structure The members of the Honorable Company are drawn from former members of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies. At any one time, the Honorable Company numbers at most fifty five members, divided informally into four divisions: one for each of the three legislative chambers, and one for the common areas and surrounding grounds. They operate out of the Honorable Company Barracks Annex of the Beige House. Its overall commander is the Serjeant-at-Arms who answers to the legislative Secretariat, but only in regards to matters of overall policy. The divisions are commanded by a Senior Steward each. Divisions protecting the three different chambers answer solely to the head of those chambers, these being the President of the Senclan, the Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives and the Chief Sage of the Council of Sages. The division protecting the common areas answers to the legislative Secretariat. Duties The doctrine of separation of powers within the TBRE means the integrity of the legislature must be protected from the interference of the executive branch. Since regular police units answer to the Minister of the Interior, a cabinet-level executive official, the heads of the three legislative chambers have exclusive police powers within their respective chambers, while the common areas are exclusively policed by the legislative Secretariat, who acts upon the collective orders of the heads of the chambers. These authorities can delegate their police powers to designated persons, specifically the Honorable Company. In general, the Honorable Company is responsible for the security of the Beige House (where the legislature sits), its sitting members wherever they are, and guests to the legislature. It patrols the premises of the Beige House and the immediate areas surrounding it, acts on behalf of the respective heads of the chambers in exercising their police powers, vet visitors and remove intruders from the legislative chambers or the common areas. It also plays a significant ceremonial duty, mounting a guard in the interior of the Beige House when foreign officials visit, and "pacifying the chamber" by clearing it of other armed persons to prevent voter intimidation during key legislative votes, a ceremonial relic from medieval times. Nevertheless, in practice significant cross-communication still exists between the Honorable Company, the local City of Toyland Police Department (and the Government District Division in particular), and the National Police Bureau, who are the paramilitary national police responsible for counter-terrorism and domestic intelligence work. This communication is coordinated by Protection and Security Operations Command, who provide protective services to high ranking government officials and key buildings. Additionally, as members of the Honorable Company do not have full regular police powers, such as the power to investigate crimes, the heads of the legislative chamber are also collectively allowed to grant permission to regular police units to enter the legislature should the need arise. Uniforms and Equipment Ceremonial uniforms are usually worn by members posted inside the legislative chambers, which consist of a dark blue Velkarstern tunic (as is standard among the other legislative servants) and a red sash and scarf, differentiating them from other servants. The Serjeant-at-arms and Senior Stewards also wear different colored bands, depending on the legislative chamber in which they serve. Outside of the legislative chamber, members usually wear regular light-blue local police uniforms, although the insignia on their stab-proof vests and sleeves mark them out to be Stewards. Recent security threats have meant that all members of the Honorable Company are now trained in the safe and legal use of firearms. Weapons used include the Glock 17 pistol, the Remington 870 shotgun, and the semi-automatic BAR-88S6 rifle; the latter two are reserved for use in the common areas or when a significant threat arises. In general, however, members posted inside the legislative chambers are not armed with firearms; instead, they carry ceremonial halberds with a cloth cover over the axe and spike. The chamber's Senior Steward is generally unarmed and sits next to the podium of the legislative chamber head with the ceremonial mace nearby. The Honorable Company does not have a dedicated fleet of vehicles, however, it may use National Police resources when needs be. Category:TBRE Category:Politics of the TBRE Category:Law enforcement